I use flash drives to repair windows, install windows, etc ... I have created a AIO installer for Windows Vista/Windows 7 to install all version both 32 bit and 64-bit

I have this located on a 16gb usb flash drive. I still have about 7gb free and want to store other software on this flash drive. Software that I use after a reinstall, spyware/virus software, codes, etc ... I know I can keep this software on a directory on the flash drive... but just want to partition the drive.

'USB flash drives cannot be partitioned in the Windows operating if the drive is identified as removable media. The only way to partition the USB flash drive is to flip the removable bit so that it is recognized as fixed media instead which can be partitioned like any normal hard drive'

'USB flash drives cannot be partitioned in the Windows operating if the drive is identified as removable media. The only way to partition the USB flash drive is to flip the removable bit so that it is recognized as fixed media instead which can be partitioned like any normal hard drive'

'USB flash drives cannot be partitioned in the Windows operating if the drive is identified as removable media. The only way to partition the USB flash drive is to flip the removable bit so that it is recognized as fixed media instead which can be partitioned like any normal hard drive'

Just so you know... you can try to increase the size of ur ego all you want... I searched google and found a ton of information on this... none of it has worked. Thats why i'm asking for help here. And, isnt that what these fourms are for? to ask for help? wtf ....

You shouldn't even make comments like that... That is the whole point of using Forums. To ask questions regardless of using google, msn, yahoo, etc ... before posting questions here. I've tried all of the info out there. Over and over again. I know there is tons of info on this. But known of this has worked.

Acronis will do it, I have a flash drive with two partitions as we speak that I created using Acronis.

The problem is getting Windows to recogonize the second partition, which isn't easy, as I'm sure you found out via google. The second partition is there, created by Acronis, but Windows doesn't use it or assign it a drive letter because most flash drives are marked as removable and Windows will not allow removable media to have more than one partition, and if you create a second partition with a 3rd party utility such as Acronis, Windows will not recognize it.

So you need to find and use one of the many work arounds out there to make Windows detect the drive as a fixed disk, and not removable.

The problem is that most of the work arounds change Windows, and not the flash drive itself, so it will only work on the single Windows install you apply it to. If you move the flash drive to another computer, the second partition will not be seen...

The only real way to change this is to change the Removable Media Bit. Changing the Removable Media Bit will allow both partitions to work on all Windows systems. BootIt does this on some drives, but not all. I don't know of a tool that works with all drives. I know the Removable Media Bit is in the SCSI Inquiry Data string, but I don't know how to change that on a flash drive.

New Member

Do you know the technical part of it? How does the flipping of the removable happen? How can we partition a USB without using a 3rd party software? Can you suggest any programming language? and what algo should I use? thanks!

just use XP install CD, fo till the drives menu, partition and exit/turn comp off. done. i did this. so it works. but, you need USB boot option on, i think.
also note that windows will set aside 8mb at first, but if you reallocate, it will go away(use your logic)

New Member

I tried Lexar bootit and yes it really works. But what I need to know is how Lexar does it. I am required to do a software that works exactly like it and I should do it from scratch. did a lot of research and im having troubles dealing with the "flipping of the bit" what does it do to the USB that makes it recognize by the computer as a fix media?

Quote:
Q. What must I do to trigger AutoRun on my USB storage device?
The AutoRun capabilities are restricted to CD-ROM drives and fixed disk drives. If you need to make a USB storage device perform AutoRun, the device must not be marked as a removable media device and the device must contain an Autorun.inf file and a startup application.

The removable media device setting is a flag contained within the SCSI Inquiry Data response to the SCSI Inquiry command. Bit 7 of byte 1 (indexed from 0) is the Removable Media Bit (RMB). An RMB set to zero indicates that the device is not a removable media device. An RMB of one indicates that the device is a removable media device. Drivers obtain this information by using the StorageDeviceProperty request.